Qritani
Qritani The Qritani live along the western and southern coasts of Domhain Byd, with their highest concentration within the kingdom of Aitbheth. History The Qritani claim to have always lived along the western and souther coasts, having been placed there by their gods, Righana and Tep. They have a lengthy history of many minor wars between different Qritanian factions and against their neighbors, before becoming one people following the Aitbhethian Unification War, at which time the warlord Cu Art Faolin declared himself the high king of Aitbheth. The Qritani who live in Eretath continue minor skirmishes among themselves, but maintain some semblance of peace to avoid punishment. The Qritani who live in Adunato have largely abandoned their traditional ways, intermarrying with Tmek and Coloni there. Appearance Commoners typically favor a wild appearance in comparison to most other peoples. Leather clothing--or none at all--is more usually worn than cloth. Hair is grown long among men and women or sometimes cut short regardless of gender, but the men keep their faces clean-shaven. The Qritani are also notable for their height. Their men average 6'4" and their women 5'10". Long, lean bodies are most common. Customs The Qritani are an agrarian culture who primarily farm grains, root crops and cattle. Bread, tubers and cheese are the staples of their diet. However, since the rise of the empires, they have added more vegetables, fruits and spices to their cultivation, for the sake of tributes to the nobility and trading with other kingdoms. Meat is typically only eaten a few times a year, as their dairy cattle are seen as too valuable for slaughter. In spring, any calves deemed defective are slaughtered and the meat is divided up throughout the village. Then in fall, all the steers that have been fattened for a year and a half are slaughtered. Excess meat from the fall culling is also given as tribute to nobility. The Qritani also have a lengthy tradition of brewing and distilling alcohol. Anything that isn't eaten or traded right away in its fresh form is usually fermented. Because their region of the continent has little temperature variation throughout the year and is frequently damp, they have never much favored drying foods. Fermentation is their preferred method of preservation. They are particularly famed for their beer and whiskey. Bloodshed and war stories are highly esteemed by the Qritani and they long for any excuse to engage in it once again. Because the Ratkin have little regard for property rights, the Qritani have had frequent clashes with them. The cycle of the conflict typically involves numerous dead on both sides, peace brokered by marriages to establish blood ties, and then a new conflict to arise with the next generation. These conflicts were quelled to some degree when the Ratkin Syeira became the reigning Aitbhethian queen. Religion As farmers and brewers, the Qritanian reverence for the natural world crosses over into their religion, which is a fertility cult. They worship the sacred marriage of Righana and Tep, an earth goddess and her lover the sun. Every year, they pick a Grain Queen to represent Righana and she is ritually married to the Bull King, who represents Tep. The marriage is dissolved after a year and any children resulting from it are considered extremely lucky. In the past, the Bull King was actually sacrificed and eaten at the end of the year, with his bones burned and used to fertilize the fields. This has been outlawed in most places, but there are rumors that they continue in remote villages.Category:Peoples of Domhain Byd